How are we going to get out of this? We have an army of undead all around and god knows where we are! I know that there is little to no chance of us surviving, even if we make it through this challenge, there will just be another waiting for us. And while the enemy grows with each fallen survivor our numbers only grow smaller, and our resources dwindle more and more. What’s the point in fighting, if there’s no hope of victory?

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Monday, November 23, 2015

Haven Chapter 22

Chapter 22

I caught Greg as he
fell, then a second later I heard the shots, I turned my head quickly just in
time to see the life leave Brooke’s eyes. She collapsed too, and I heard Connor
yell her name as he grabbed one of the rifles. Anthony quickly retreated as
Connor started firing, he ran out the door and out of the police station,
towards the others. I turned away from Brooke to the man in my eyes, only to
see he was dead too, in shock and grief I opened my arms and let his lifeless
body fall to the floor. The room seemed to be deathly quiet, yet exploding with
motion and sound at the same time. I felt Connor run past me, following
Anthony, and I saw Emma sit up after being thrown to the floor, and as she
turned and saw what had happened her eyes widened, and her body started to
shake. Once again Anthony had ruined everything.

Jacobs also picked
herself up off the floor, blood leaking from the side of her mouth. But unlike
me and Emma she did not react drastically to the site of Greg and Brooke’s
bodies, instead she looked stiff, and grim, the same face she had when we first
saw her. I wondered for a moment if her relationship with Greg was the same as
my relationship with Brooke. Both of us were leaders of our respective groups,
while Brooke and Greg where older, more experienced people who supported us in
that role. My confidence in myself and in my leadership died with Brooke, as
did any hope I had of building any kind of life in this new world that didn’t
involve death, grief, and despair. From the look on Jacobs’ face this wasn’t
the first time she had faced a comrade’s death. I felt numb, I could barely
move my legs.

“Todd,” Emma said
quietly, the first time she had ever sounded like the child she was supposed to
be, “I’m-I’m so sorry, I”-

“This wasn’t your
fault,” Jacobs said for me, although the look she was giving Emma told me she
didn’t exactly appreciate Emma’s presence. I said nothing, I wished I could say
I comforted her, but all I could do was stand there and stare at the pools of blood
forming on the floor. “Todd!” Jacobs said sharply, my heads snapped up, staring
at her with wide eyes, “we don’t have time to grieve, the others…” As she spoke
I realised with fear that death wasn’t done with us today. But I wanted to make
sure it was Anthony it took next.

…

Malcolm waited
helplessly outside, worrying about what was going on inside after Emma recklessly
ran into the station. But it wasn’t till long until he heard one loud gunshot,
he glanced towards Monica, who looked just as concerned as he felt. Then two
more shots rang out, and with horror he realised that three shots would be
enough to take out all of his people (excluding Emma).

The men from the
resistance rushed into motion, setting up a line around the entrance, with two others
pointing their guns at us. But then they heard the sounds of rapid footsteps
from inside the station, and the men lowered their guns as the man wearing the
motorcycle helmet walked out, only this time without his helmet. Malcolm was
more worried than ever for me and the others, but that was nothings compared to
the look on Monica’s face when she grabbed his arm and pulled him closer to the
van. She looked terrified, and furious at the same time, it was more emotion
than most had seen on Monica’s face in a long time. “Marauder,” she hissed
quietly

Malcom’s jaw dropped, “that’s”-

“Their leader,” Monica
continued, not taking her eyes off of him as he ran towards his truck

“Emma’s in there,”
Malcolm quickly played through all the horrifying implications of that, and
what could’ve happened inside. Neither of them could believe the situation they
had gotten themselves into, although few situations were believable or pleasant
these days.

The two of them were
startled out of their fear as the line or men began firing into the station
then stopped. Two of them began slowly walking inside, but from their point neither
Monica nor Malcolm could see what had happened inside. They turned their eyes
back to Anthony who was now inside the truck, and Pete was about to jump into
the passenger seat when another gunshot sounded. This time it was from the
outside of the station as Anthony fired another bullet straight through Pete’s
skull as he started the engine. And before Pete’s body had hit the ground he
was driving away.

…

I ran out after Connor
and Anthony after grabbing my gun from the desk drawer. Just as I left the room
I had shots from the entrance, I gestured for the others to stop, and
cautiously glanced around the corner. They were firing at Connor, I wasn’t
surprised the let Anthony through, they had no idea he what had happened. Luckily
Connor saw them before they saw him and he was able to dive behind a concrete
pole before the fired. He wasn’t fast enough however, I could see his leg
bleeding and he was sitting with his back to the wall. I heard Jacobs sigh
behind me as she pushed past me. I saw two of the resistance men walking slowly
into the station, they turned their guns on her, and for a second I thought in
their cautious state they might shoot her, but they recognised her and lowered
her guns. Someone had shot something however, as the sound of a gun shot from
outside echoed through the hall.

Emma ran to help Connor
as the rest of us ran outside, just in time to see Lindsey and the others fire
at their truck as it drove off. A couple of them tried to run after him, and
one made for the bike, but a sharp word from Jacobs made them stop. She knew it
was hopeless, and too dangerous. I could see Malcolm crouched down over a body
on the road, and as he stood up covering his mouth and nose I saw it was Pete.
I glanced at Jacobs and she sighed once more, but this time it was grief on her
face, rather than anger. She had given up on vengeance as Anthony disappeared
into a side street, and now all that was left was to pick up the pieces.

“And Brooke?” Malcolm
added as he walked up. But our silence told them all they needed to know, and
their reaction was instant. Lindsey collapsed into a heap, sobbing as another
of the men sat with her. Malcolm swore loudly, and stormed off towards the van,
we left him alone for now. Monica walked past me to help Emma support Connor.
Everyone had varying reactions, but the pain we all felt was the same. We all
have had to deal with death before, and it never gets easier, but for me this time
was different. I wasn’t there to see Caleb die, I didn’t see his blood. And there
was no one to blame then, only the mindless death that came with these times,
this time there was someone to blame. I wanted to run after him, to take a gun
and hunt him down. But everyone was relying on me, and I knew the only thing we
would gain from chasing him is more death, and more pain. We had to leave, but
as I said before death wasn’t done with us yet, and I doubt it ever will be. A
scream pierced our silence as one of the resistance men who ran after Anthony
returned, only to walk right into a group of undead, about 50 of them, marching
towards the sounds of gunshots.